VOTERS across North Staffordshire may not be surprised to hear candidates of all political persuasions declare that jobs and regeneration are the burning issues in this General Election.

These were also the burning issues five years ago, in the run-up to the previous Parliamentary polls.

But since then, that flame appears to have been all but extinguished by the recession and the current threat of reduced Government expenditure.

All the main parties claim they hold the key to unlocking this area's true commercial and economic potential.

Some of them may be right, but first they must persuade the electorate that they can somehow deliver what is needed now, when so little has changed for so many years.

Cuttings from The Sentinel in 2005 show there was widespread concern about the impact of Renew North Staffordshire's £1.6 billion housing pathfinder scheme and a growing impatience to see major regeneration initiatives like the redevelopment of Hanley's eyesore bus station, the East West Centre and the derelict Victoria Ground in Stoke come to fruition.

Five years on and the same issues remain unresolved, but the economic backdrop has changed completely, and not for the better.

Official statistics show that when votes were being cast in 2005, there were 6,000 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Stoke-on-Trent, but that figure had leapt to more than 10,000 by last year.

Renew's housing regeneration programme should be just a few years away from completion, and well on the way to providing attractive new communities to replace the crumbling terraces of the area's neglected estates.

But the stagnant housing market means that, in many intervention areas, the only signs of progress are the metal shutters on the windows or the overgrown expanses of rubble as the clearance areas await an uncertain fate.

However, at least Renew has delivered some noticeable improvements to run-down parts of Hanley, Meir, Shelton and Knutton and it has secured much of the funding it needs to maintain the work it has begun.

What has really fanned the flames of frustration over the pace of regeneration is the fact that the long-awaited, high-profile developments that were supposed to herald the city's rebirth are years behind schedule and in some cases exist solely on paper.

The only real evidence of change is that the optimistic completion dates have been rolled back several years, or simply labelled "uncertain".

Labour politicians say they have the local, regional and national connections, the drive and the determination to pull in the Government funds and the private investment needed to revive North Staffordshire.

They argue that, with the global economic downturn over, they can now resume what they began here and right the persistent wrongs of spiralling unemployment and benefit dependency.

But they will do well to fend off the obvious criticism that they and their Government have presided over more than a decade of decline in the area.

The Conservatives believe their reputation as the party of big business will persuade voters they are the only credible successors.

They claim that, if David Cameron does win the keys to Number 10, they will be best placed to fight for the cash that North Staffordshire so desperately needs and persuade wavering investors to locate here.

The Tories are certainly making plenty of capital out of Labour's inability to bring aspirational regeneration plans to fruition.

But it may prove harder to convince a community which lost its mining, steel and much of its manufacturing industries under Margaret Thatcher that they now have North Staffordshire's best interests at heart.

The Liberal Democrats have been less forthright on the subject than their mainstream opponents.

However, they are known to favour increased investment in greener technology and high-tech industry as a means of carving out a new niche economic identity for the area.

Speaking to business leaders, it is immediately apparent that the speed and scope of change is of far greater concern than the political packaging it arrives in.

Bryan Carnes, pictured left, chief executive of the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, does not mind which parties or political figures win on polling night, provided they can work collectively to deliver regeneration.

He is particularly keen to see rapid progress on the regeneration of the Hanley, as that will bring wider benefits to the rest of the city and the sub-region.

He said: "The main thing that needs to happen after this election is the physical regeneration of the city centre, particularly the bus station, followed by the Central Business District and the East West Centre.

"It is all about creating jobs in a city which it would seem has lost more jobs in the last 10 years than any other major population centre in the UK.

"There are 42,000 people of working age who are receiving some type of out-of-work benefit in North Staffordshire and who need an opportunity to get back into work.

"I would hope that whoever wins the elections locally will work as a team to lobby ministers and ensure that we get more than our fair share of the funding, relocated civil service jobs and support for the development of manufacturing."

Mr Carnes said: "I think the politicians all realise that, at the end of the recession, we need to up our game and that's not just the MPs, but the local authorities and chambers of commerce as well."

Richard Day, pictured right, who represents traders involved in the City Centre Partnership in Stoke-on-Trent, is also diplomatically neutral on the issue of which party represents the best choice for regeneration.

And he also believes that progress in the city centre will pave the way for improvements in Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

He said: "Whoever wins the election needs to ensure that the regeneration money continues to come into North Staffordshire.

"It is also of paramount importance that Renew are allowed to continue in existence and not replaced by some other organisation or process, which may waste valuable time.

"But the politicians need to work together because collectively they can achieve far more than if they try to work as individuals."